17,531 Hours

The air is heavy, my lungs are drowning in the moment. The silence is melancholy, with words lingering in the atmosphere. The hug that lasts a little longer than usual, the hands that remain locked together for as long as they can, the kiss on the cheek that means the world; It's the moment I dread and look forward to all at the same time. I've gone through it time and time again. It's torn my heart to pieces and scattered them across the world. It's always an unexpected emotion, a heartbreak, and a genuine excitement. The letters in the mail, the notification of an email, the update on Facebook, the little reminders that I'm blessed with worthy, inspired, absolutely incredible friends. I've fallen in love with testimony after testimony, stories and advice; I've fallen in love with all my boys. As I said goodbye to the last of them to go out into the mission field today, I also began the two month countdown for my little family of friends to make their way back home. Two years.  730 days. 17,531 hours. 1,051,897 minutes. It goes by a lot quicker than I could have ever imagined. Through them, I've grown, I've understood, I've learned, and I've gained a greater testimony and love for my Savior and the hastening of the work. Words cannot express how proud I am of each and every one of those missionaries, and there is not a doubt in my mind that the Lord is proud beyond measure too.

photo

God be with you til we meet again, Elders.

Because of Him

"Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer. Because of Him, death is not the end, and life takes on new meaning. We can change, we can start over--and we can live again with God. This Easter, celebrate His life and discover all that's possible because of Him."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has put out an incredibly written Easter story this year, and if you haven't seen it, I highly encourage you to read it. And the video above? Amazing. Put Easter back into perspective, bring the spirit of Easter into your heart and into the lives of others, and have gratitude towards our sweet Savior. Because of Him, everything is possible. "Because Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind it's possible for each of us to live again with God." You can read ''The Meaning of Easter'' HERE. 

[ picture via Ashley Parker Photography ] 

#BecauseofHim 

Guess What Day It Is!

Typically hump day is on Wednesdays...

BUT!

This week it's on a Thursday, because one of my favorite
missionaries in the whole wide world has been out for 

1 YEAR!
I can't believe how fast it has gone, and I am beyond proud of him!

Happy Hump Day Elder Morse!

"The Why"

Lately I have been so grateful that missionaries have the opportunity to use Facebook .

Not only do I love that they can connect with so many other people,

 but I love how my feed is constantly filled with spiritually uplifting thoughts, 

challenges, and service. 

I feel like negativity has become more and more visible, and it makes me really sad. 

Sure, I hide people, or unfriend them so I'm not constantly seeing negative posts,

 but it's outweighing social media. I love the inspiring messages the missionaries share, 

and after thinking about this, I was reminded of a poem my very dear friend Lewis wrote. 

In his farewell talk, he was confident, excited, and more than ready to serve the Lord in Croatia. 

The spirit was very strong, and I smiled the entire time. He then shared his poem, 

and it hit me so hard. Tears were shed, and I knew I had to keep a copy of it.

Now I want to share it with you, in hopes that it might affect you in some way.

We all should strive to be missionaries, and bring hope into the lives around us.

In touching just one life, we have the power to touch many.

The Why

By Lewis Sheridan

Priesthood service is one of God's greatest gifts.

It gives us the chance to lead the lost and to lift.

Brothers and sisters bring God's flag of truth unfurled,

so that the Priesthood can bless every soul of the world.

The power of God to bless, comfort and heal,

if only I could express in words how grateful I feel.

I'll use this power and listen to my heart,

to find one lost brother who's wondering where thou art.

Although some will not listen and I'll try and I'll try,

If only they could understand Christ's sacrifice and remember the why.

I am beyond grateful to have so many worth, inspiring, missionary friends in my life!

Through letters, Facebook posts, and emails,

they affect my life everyday. 

People and Meaning

*Fair warning, this is a long post, so brace yourselves.

Life has a way of bringing people together for simply significant reasons and in mysterious ways. One cannot simply define the emotions of an everyday heart, but it's sure an adventure worth living for. Being constantly surrounded by people is an interesting side story to any situation. One simply doesn't know who will come in or out of a life, and the amount of impact they will have, but no matter who it is, it's important and so are they. 

The first person I want to recognize is a woman of compassion, beauty, dedication, love, and amazement. Although I have known her forever, she was sent into my life to teach me so many things. 

My beautiful mom is one of the most incredible people I've ever known. There are no words to possibly explain the impact she has had on me. I look up to her in so many ways, and she continues to make my love for her grow. The relationship between a mother and daughter is one of the most outstanding things ever created. We may view things differently, or have bumps along the way, but she's one of very few that I know will love me forever and ever no matter what. Differences and arguments don't change the love I feel for her, in fact, they make me love her even more because I know we'll shortly be laughing at the other person laughing. If you don't know my mom, you're missing out. She's incredible. Happy Birthday to her a couple weeks ago! 

Next is a situation where I'm grateful for people with educations and their willingness to engage themselves in what they are good at. (Even if the situation sucks...) Lucky me got my wisdom teeth out a couple weeks ago. I had told people that I was going to be that one person who has the worst experience with it, and that I would be the story that made people nervous to get theirs out. I decided I should stop saying what I think when it involves situations like that, because they tend to come true. It was the worst week (still going, but thank heavens it's getting better) of my life. If you know me, I'm a walking mystery in the health aspect of life, and long story short, my body decided to throw everything at me at once on the day I got them out. So, to anyone getting theirs out in the near future, I wish you the best of luck and I hope it's a more pleasant experience than mine. I am, however, grateful for such a concerned and friendly Oral Surgeon. 

Sometimes it's not just one person who impacts your life, but a group of individuals. I have a deep love for surprises. Sometimes I can be a tricky one to surprise though. I tend to guess, and I am a very good guesser. This past week however, I was surprised, and clueless. My birthday is coming up, tomorrow in fact, and my sweet best friend invited me over to her house. Little did I know that I was in for the most exciting news ever. Her and her family surprised me with a trip to Hawaii! The entire family is going, and somehow I got invited along with them! I was seriously holding back tears all night. I'm counting down the days, and I can't even begin to say how grateful I am for every single person in that family. They all have become so near and dear to my heart, and they have helped me in ways that are unexplainable. They have adopted me into their family, and I will forever feel so blessed to have them in my life. 

Do you ever stop and wonder how a friendship started? One that has lasted a life time? I have grown up with one of the most amazing boys, and had to part ways after 14 years. A mission is such a bittersweet event. I wouldn't have the situation any other way, but saying goodbye for two years is such a hard thing to do. He has been there for me through the thick and thin, and has always been one to care about me very openly. I have cherished the time we spent together, and look forward to the day he comes home. He's been a huge blessing in my life, and I'm so excited for him to bless the lives of so many others.

Last but not least, there are the people who enter our lives as strangers, and grow to become someone extremely dear to our hearts. Someone who has a new outlook on the world. Someone who shows you how endearing life can be. I've been blessed with one of these people. I've come to know someone who I never knew even existed. Someone who has seen me for who I am and treated me in a way I thought only true in movies. Someone who has replaced fear with confidence. Someone who is different than many of the people I know, and what a mark he has left on my life. My eyes have been opened to something beautiful and mysterious, and I could never express my gratitude I have for that. There aren't many people who can show you a new perspective on a life you thought was already amazing. I'll forever be grateful and have him dear to my heart.

Life is an amazing journey. I definitely can't complain about my adventure thus far. I'm beyond blessed and I wish I could share my love and happiness to all those who lack it. I hope we all can find the positive in our life even when things get tough. "Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise." 

I Know It. I Live It. I Love It.

This is such a wonderful time of year.  The air reveals it's long hidden breath of Fall, the leaves change to magnificent shades of orange, red and yellow, sweaters and boots get pulled out, and General Conference blesses us once again.  It's safe to say that we have so much to be so grateful for. 

 Here are a few of my favorite highlights from this October 2012 General Conference.

 

 

Watch Conference Here!

I'm proud to be a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I know it.  I live it. I love it.  I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I am excited to see the change in the world through missionary service.

 

Dear Elder

Not only has this summer been the beginning of many changes, it has been the summer of many goodbyes.  Not really goodbyes, but more like see you later's.  While some friends have moved away to go to school, the majority of my closest friends are being dispersed among the world to teach the gospel.   Now, don't get me wrong.  I wouldn't want it any other way!  The fact that they have chosen to serve missions is the thing I love the very most about them.  It just brings a lot of emotion with it.  Thank goodness we have a mail system though, right?

As I write this post, I do it with teary eyes and an emotion I can't even begin to explain.  Today I said see you later to a friend that has been there with me through so much for a little over five years. I'm more than happy to send him off, but it's so weird to think he won't be right down the street from me anymore. 

So, to Elder P., Elder F., Elder H., Elder K., and all the Elders around the world,

Thank you for making the choice to serve in the gospel and become and instrument in the Lord's hands.  Thank you for being examples and sharing your testimony to those who need it the most.  You will be so blessed, just like the people you are teaching. Now, specifically to Elder P.  Thank you for the memories and dear friendship. I'm so proud of you for your decision! A lot will have changed by the time you get home, but you'll always be one of my greatest friends.  You're in my prayers, and we'll see you in two. :)